


Elves - Minor Characters

by HASA_Archivist



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Elves, Research Article
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-02-20
Updated: 2003-02-20
Packaged: 2018-04-14 04:44:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 6,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4550973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HASA_Archivist/pseuds/HASA_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>by Lyllyn. This character essay collection lists information about individual minor Elves. All known facts about each minor character is listed in an individual "chapter", and they are sorted alphabetically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the HASA Transition Team: This story was originally archived at HASA, which closed in February 2015. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in February 2015. We posted announcements about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact The HASA Transition Team using the e-mail address on the HASA collection profile.

This section is intended as a resource for authors who need minor characters for their story - or those of us who are geeks and just like this kind of thing.  
  
Each essay has information, and sometimes speculation, about individual minor character Elves. All known facts about each minor character are listed in an individual "chapter" and sorted alphabetically. If you have information that is omitted, please email me or the author, or post in the resource forum: go to the character factsheet discussion, and post the information in the 'minor canon character' or the 'Add this to a character bio!' topic.  
  
Eventually we hope that this will become a useful resource, with indexes leading you to names of characters that may be suitable for any particular situation. We need volunteers to add to this list, and to start indexes which could be set up by location, time period, cultural grouping, event, or any other useful category.


	2. Index - placeholder

Remained in Valinor: Anairë, Indis, Mahtan, Olwë

Exiles: Angrod, Edrahil, Irimë

Doriath: Evranin, Gereth, Elmo, Nellas, Saeros

Dorthonion: Angrod, Gelmir, Arminas

Gondolin: Egalmoth, Elemmakil

Nagrothond: Edrahil


	3. Anairë

Meaning: From Quenya anaira "holiest"  
Other Name(s): None  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Noldo*  
Dates: Age of the Trees~?  
Location(s): Tirion  
Parent(s): Unknown  
Sibling(s): Unknown  
Spouses(s): Fingolfin  
Child/ren: Fingon, Turgon, Aredhel, (Argon)  
Character Description and Notes: She was great friends with Eärwen, wife of Finarfin. She stayed behind in Aman instead of following her husband and children, due to her friendship with Eärwen.  
  
*In HoMe 12,  _Peoples of Middle-earth_  Anairë is a Noldo, in HoMe 11,  _The War of the Jewels_  she is Vanyar.


	4. Angrod

This character biography by Finch 2.19.03

Name: Angrod (Telerin form: Angaráto)  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Noldo  
Dates: Age of the Trees - First Age 455  
Locations: Valinor, Dorthonion  
Parents: Father: Finarfin; Mother: Eärwen of Alqualondë  
Spouse: Edhellos (Q. Eldalóte)  
Children: according to one version of the mythology: Orodreth

Angrod was either the second or the third son of Finarfin, depending which version of the canon the reader prefers. As the second son, he is Orodreth's father (HoMe 12, The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Shibboleth of Fëanor) Like all the children of Finarfin son of Indis, he had the golden hair of the Vanyar.

He joined the rebellion of the Noldor and did not return to Valinor when his father did, and so came under the Curse of Mandos. In the first Quenta Silmarillion, he and his brother Aegnor were close in friendship with the sons of Fëanor, and they sided with Fëanor in the shouting match in the great square of Tirion before the flight of the Noldor. Neither of them crossed the Helcaraxë in this version, for they were allowed to sail to Losgar in the ships the Fëanorians robbed from the Teleri. (HoMe 5, The Lost Road, Quenta Silmarillion)

In Beleriand, Angrod was admitted to Doriath together with his siblings, and later he acted as an ambassador to Thingol on behalf of the Noldor. When Thingol's message was not to the liking of Fëanor's sons, Caranthir saw fit to insult the messenger: "Let not the sons of Finarfin run hither and thither with their tales to this Dark Elf in his caves! Who made them our spokesmen to deal with him?... Let them not so swiftly forget that their father is a lord of the Noldor, though their mother be of other kin." After which Angrod "was wrathful and went forth from the council".

Angrod was the one who defended himself and his siblings against Thingol's allegation that they were Kinslayers when Finrod remained silent, saying: "Lord, I know not what lies you have heard, nor whence; but we came not red-handed. Guiltless we came forth, save maybe of folly, to listen to the words of fell Fëanor, and become as if besotted with wine, and as briefly. No evil did we do on our road, but suffered ourselves great wrong; and forgave it. For this we are named tale-bearers to you and treasonable to the Noldor: untruly as you know, for we have of our loyalty been silent before you, and thus earned your anger. But now these charges are no longer to be borne, and the truth you shall know." Apparently, Angrod was a hothead, and his reaction to the accusations could also be explained by the fact that he bore the brunt of Caranthir's insults after his embassy to Thingol. (Of course, this episode is at variance with the Silmarillion version where Angrod and Aegnor sailed to Beleriand with the Fëanorians, but that was obviously discarded.)

During the Long Peace, Angrod and Aegnor were the only lords of the Noldor who listened to Fingolfin when he wanted to assault Angband, mainly because they were lords of Dorthonion and lived within sight of Thangorodrim. Nothing came of this assault for lack of cooperation from the other Noldorin leaders. In the end it was Morgoth, who attacked the Noldor in the Battle of the Sudden Flame, and both Angrod and Aegnor were slain. (The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. 13, 15 & 18)


	5. Edrahil

This character biography by Finch 3.06.03  
  
Previous/Alternative Name: Enedrion  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Probably Noldo  
Dates: ? - First Age 468  
Location: Nargothrond  
In the Lay of Leithian (HoMe 3, Lays of Beleriand), none of the ten Elves who set out from Nargothrond with Beren and Felagund to try and recover a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown, are given a name. In the Quenta Silmarillion (HoMe 5, The Lost Road), one of them does get a name: Enedrion, which could be patronymic (son of Enede/ir?). In the Grey Annals (HoMe 11, War of the Jewels), probably in the version written in the 1950's, this name is changed to Edrahil. At first sight this looks Sindarin, but as it doesn't show consonant mutation - in which case it would be Edrachil - it is probably Quenya, or at least partially Quenya like the name Fëanor. That would make Edrahil an exiled Noldo from Valinor.   
  
Edrahil is the chief of the ten 'faithful knights' who stood beside Finrod when the rest of his people deserted him, and he plays a separate role. When Finrod threw his crown to the floor, he lifted it and asked that it be given to a steward until Felagund's return. "For you remain my king, and theirs," he said, "whatever betide." When the twelve companions were intercepted and imprisoned by Sauron on Tol-in-Gaurhoth, Edrahil was among the ten that were devoured by the werewolf. (The Silmarillion, QS, Ch. 19, Of Beren and Lúthien.)


	6. Egalmoth

This character biography by Lyllyn 2.21.03  
  
Name: Egalmoth  
Meaning: Pointed helm-crest  
Title: Lord of the folk of the Heavenly Arch  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Noldo  
Dates: Probably Age of the Trees - First Age   
Locations: Gondolin, Haven at Sirion (Arvernien)  
  
Description: "But they of the Heavenly Arch being a folk of uncounted wealth were arrayed in a glory of colors, and their arms were set with jewels that flamed in the light now over the sky. Every shield of that battalion was of the blue of the heavens and its boss a jewel built of seven gems, rubies and amethysts and sapphires, emeralds, crysoprase, topaz and amber, but an opal of great size was set in their helms. Egalmoth was their chieftain, and wore a blue mantle upon which the stars were broidered in crystal, and his sword was bent - now none else of the Noldoli bore curved swords, yet he trusted rather to the bow, and could shot therewith further than any among that host."  
A reconstruction of his shield is at [Emblems and Heraldry](http://forodrim.letsrock.nu/gobennas/heraldry/heraldry.htm)  
  
  
Egalmoth of Gondolin is mentioned as connected to two events only, the Fall of Gondolin, and in a version that Tolkien briefly considered and discarded, as one of the lords of Turgon's household who was sent to escort his sister Aredhel.   
  
In the year 316 of the First Age Aredhel leaves Gondolin, telling Turgon she wishes to visit Fingon, but once en route insists that she is going south instead to visit the Feänorians. Her companions attempt to dissuade her, but are unsuccessful. The lords accompany her south, seeking to pass through King Thingol's lands; they are denied admittance to Doriath, and travel a more dangerous route "between the haunted valleys of Ered Gorgoroth and the north fences of Doriath." As they ride near "the evil region of Nan Dungortheb" the riders are "enmeshed in shadows" and Aredhel becomes separated from her companions. They search for her, but are pursued by "fell creatures of Ungoliant" and barely escape, making their way back to Gondolin. Aredhel reaches Himlad safely, alone.  
  
In the discarded version, he considered specifying Egalmoth, Ecthelion, and Glorfindel as the three lords who escorted Aredhel.   
  
  
There is more material about Egalmoth and his role in the Fall of Gondolin in year 507 of the First Age. In The Book of Lost Tales 2 there is the following account:  
  
"Even from that region comes now Egalmoth. He had had charge of the engines on the wall; but long since deeming matters to call rather for hand-strokes about the streets than shooting upon the battlements he gathered some of the Arch and of the Swallow about him, and cast away his bow. Then did they fare about the city dealing good blows whenever they fell in with bands of the enemy. Thereby he rescued many bands of captives and gathered no few wandering and driven men, and got to the King's Square with hard fighting; and men were fain to greet him for they had feared him dead. Now are all the women and children that had gathered there or been brought in by Egalmoth stowed in the king's halls, and the ranks of the houses made ready for the last."  
  
"Then there was carnage at the barriers, and Egalmoth and Tuor went from place to place of the defence, but Ecthelion lay by the fountain; and that stand was the most stubborn-valiant that is remembered in all the songs of in any tale."  
  
"Tuor stood then in the way of that beast, but was sundered from Egalmoth, and they pressed him backward even to the centre of the square nigh the fountain."  
  
"Idril was with these, and Eärendil who bore up well, but Tuor was in the midmost behind them with all his men of the Wing, and they bare some who were grievously hurt, and Egalmoth was with him, but he had got a hurt in that sally from the square."  
  
 _This suggests that Egalmoth worked well with Tuor, and that he was trusted by other folk in Gondolin, given that warriors of the Swallow would put themselves under his command when everything was in disarray. It also suggests that he had some expertise or particular knowledge in order to be able to command the 'engines,' presumably trebuchets.  
  
He might have been unusually skilled with weapons or unusually receptive to innovations since he used a curved sword while all of the rest of the Noldoli used only the straight sword. He is described as being the best shot of the host._  
  
  
In 'Entries in the Name List' at the end of  _The Fall of Gondolin_  chapter, Egalmoth is said to have escaped the burning of Gondolin alive, and that he dwelt at the mouth of Sirion. In the early version where Sirion was attacked and Elwing captured by Melko, Egalmoth died in that battle.  
HoME vol 2 - The Book of Lost Tales 2.  
  
 _One reasonable speculation would be that he became an important person in the haven at Sirion, and may have been active in planning and commanding whatever defenses existed since he had experience in battle._  
  
Additional Note - In a very early version of Tolkien's mythology, the Noldoli are first imprisioned by Melkor, then liberated after Tulkas defeats him at the Silent Pools. (This appears to be a foreshadowing of what later became the War of Wrath.) Tolkien's notes then say, "Nodoli led to Valinor by Egalmoth and Galdor."  
HoME vol 2 - The Book of Lost Tales 2,  _The History of Eriol or Ælfwine_.


	7. Elmo

This character biography by Ying 2.19.03  
  
Character: Elmo  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Teleri (possibly Sindar)  
Dates: Trees - ?  
Location(s): Beleriand, Doriath (assumed)  
Sibling(s): Elwë (Elu Thingol), Olwë  
Child/ren: Galadhon (or Galaon)  
  
  
Elmo is an "Elf of Doriath, younger brother of Elwë (Thingol) and Olwë of Alqualondë; according to one account grandfather of Celeborn." (Unfinished Tales, Index)  
  
Celeborn was "the grandson of Thingol's brother Elmo - a shadowy figure about whom nothing is told save that he was the younger brother of Elwë (Thingol) and Olwë, and was 'beloved of Elwë with whom he remained'." (Unfinished Tales, History of Galadriel and Celeborn)  
  
*  
  
Brief Geneology of Elmo's descendents (Unfinished Tales, The Silmarillion), who were intertwined with Elwë and Olwë's descendents:  
  
Elmo had a son, Galaon. Galaon had two sons, Galathil and Celeborn.  
  
Celeborn wed Galadriel and their daughter was Celebrian. Celebrian wed Elrond.  
  
(Galadriel's parents were Eärwen and Finfarfin; Eärwen was granddaughter to Olwë.)  
  
Galathil's daughter was Nimloth of Doriath, who wed Dior Thingol's Heir. Dior and Nimloth's daughter was Elwing, who wed Eärendil. Elwing and Eärendil's children were Elrond and Elros.  
  
(Dior's parents were Beren and Lúthien; Lúthien's parents were Elwë (Thingol) and Melian.)  
  
Elros chose to be of the race of Man and founded the line from which Aragorn (Elessar) is descended.  
  
Elrond married Celebrian and they had three children: Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen.  
  
Arwen married Aragorn, who was descended from Elros. They had a son, Eldarion, and three daughters.


	8. Elenwë

This character biography contributed by Finch 2.22.03  
  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: probably Vanya  
Dates: Age of the Trees; died on the Helcaraxë  
Locations: Tirion, Valinor  
Parents: N/A  
Spouse: Turgon  
Children: Idril Celebrindal  
  
Not much is known about Turgon's wife. From the fact that they had a fair-haired daughter it could be inferred that Elenwë was fair, too, and possibly of Vanyarin descent. Though most of the wives of the Finwians remained in Valinor, Elenwë followed her husband in the rebellion of the Noldor. She never reached Middle-earth but perished in the Crossing of the Helcaraxë, cast into the sea together with her daughter Itaril(lë) or Idril when the ice broke beneath them. Turgon was able to save his daughter, though he nearly drowned himself, but his wife's body was covered in fallen ice. (HoMe 12, The Peoples of Middle-earth - Shibboleth of Fëanor)  
  
In one version of the Quenta Silmarillion Turgon's wife was Alairë, a Vanya who refused to forsake Valinor. Later this name was changed to Anairë, who then became the wife of Fingolfin and Turgon's mother. (HoMe 11, The War of the Jewels, Maeglin)


	9. Elmo

This character biography by Ying 2.19.03  
  
Character: Elmo  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Teleri (possibly Sindar)  
Dates: Trees - ?  
Location(s): Beleriand, Doriath (assumed)  
Sibling(s): Elwë (Elu Thingol), Olwë  
Child/ren: Galadhon (or Galaon)  
  
  
Elmo is an "Elf of Doriath, younger brother of Elwë (Thingol) and Olwë of Alqualondë; according to one account grandfather of Celeborn." (Unfinished Tales, Index)  
  
Celeborn was "the grandson of Thingol's brother Elmo - a shadowy figure about whom nothing is told save that he was the younger brother of Elwë (Thingol) and Olwë, and was 'beloved of Elwë with whom he remained'." (Unfinished Tales, History of Galadriel and Celeborn)  
  
*  
  
Brief Geneology of Elmo's descendents (Unfinished Tales, The Silmarillion), who were intertwined with Elwë and Olwë's descendents:  
  
Elmo had a son, Galaon. Galaon had two sons, Galathil and Celeborn.  
  
Celeborn wed Galadriel and their daughter was Celebrian. Celebrian wed Elrond.  
  
(Galadriel's parents were Eärwen and Finfarfin; Eärwen was granddaughter to Olwë.)  
  
Galathil's daughter was Nimloth of Doriath, who wed Dior Thingol's Heir. Dior and Nimloth's daughter was Elwing, who wed Eärendil. Elwing and Eärendil's children were Elrond and Elros.  
  
(Dior's parents were Beren and Lúthien; Lúthien's parents were Elwë (Thingol) and Melian.)  
  
Elros chose to be of the race of Man and founded the line from which Aragorn (Elessar) is descended.  
  
Elrond married Celebrian and they had three children: Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen.  
  
Arwen married Aragorn, who was descended from Elros. They had a son, Eldarion, and three daughters.


	10. Evranin

This character biography by: Lyllyn 2.20.03  
  
Name: Evranin  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Sindarin   
Dates: First Age   
Locations: Ossiriand, Doriath, presumably Sirion  
  
She is mentioned by name only in The Book of Lost Tales 2. When the Feänorians attacked Dior for the Silmaril:  
"Evranin the nurse of Elwing, and Gereth a gnome, took her unwilling in a flight swift and sudden from those lands…"  
  
In The Lost Road,  _The Later Annals of Beleriand,_  Tolkien wrote "The maiden Elwing was saved by faithful Elves, and they fled with her to the mouths of Sirion, and they took with them the jewel and the necklace, and Maidros found it not."  
  
Evranin therefore was an adult when Elwing was a child, possibly at her birth in 500, but beyond that her age is uncertain. The quote from The Lost Road suggests that she traveled with Elwing to Sirion. She could even have escaped the Sack of Sirion, in which case she would have been among the survivors who joined Gil-galad and went to live on the Isle of Balar.  
  
With the date of Dior's death given as 506 in The Lost Road, Evranin would have had the difficult task of fleeing with a 6 year old elf who had just lost her father.


	11. Gelmir and Arminas

This character biography by Finch, 04.01.2003  
  
  
Names: Gelmir & Arminas  
Meaning of names: ? Jewel & Royal/Noble Tower   
Race/Species: Elves  
Type: Noldor  
Dates: N/A  
Location: Dorthonion, Mouths of Sirion  
  
Tolkien used the name Gelmir more than once. In the Lays of Beleriand (HoMe 3), Fingolfin's father is called Gelmir, and in The Shaping of Middle-earth (HoMe4), Gelmir is 'King of the Gnomes', but these are one-time occurrences of the name. The Silmarillion has two Gelmirs. The first of them is the brother of Gwindor, captured in the Dagor Bragollach and later mutilated and killed to precipitate the attack of the Noldorin army in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. This worked, with the well known, disastrous result.  
  
The second Gelmir is always mentioned together with Arminas. They are mentioned for the first time in the continuation of the Grey Annals, found in The Wanderings of Húrin, part three of The War of the Jewels (HoMe 11): 'Gelmir and Arminas come to Nargothrond and bring warning of forces mustering in Narrow Land and under Erydwethian [sic]. They are rejected by Túrin.' (Sic: usually the name of these mountains is given as Ered Wethrin.)   
  
In Unfinished Tales, the main source of information for these two characters, we get more information about Gelmir and Arminas. Both were of the people of Angrod; after the Dagor Bragollach they wandered far, until they came to dwell among Círdan's people by the Mouths of Sirion. From there, Círdan sent them on their way with a message from Ulmo, warning the King of Nargothrond (then Orodreth) about an approaching peril. However, they were sent along the length of the coast to the Firth of Drengist, according to Arminas for speed and secrecy, but at first sight this seems a long detour. 'Greater secrecy,' Christopher Tolkien writes in the Appendix to the Narn i Hîn Húrin (UT), 'could surely have been achieved by journeying up Narog from the South. It might be supposed that Círdan did this in obedience to Ulmo's command, so that they should meet Tuor in Dor-lómin and guide him throug the Gate of the Noldor), but this is nowhere suggested.'   
  
At the time Christopher Tolkien wrote this passage, he had probably not yet discovered the continuation of the Grey Annals, because his father had mislaid this: The entry there suggests Gelmir and Arminas were also meant to be eyewitnesses to the mustering of enemy forces in the North, to add weight to their errand in Nargothrond. But it is true that they helped Tuor to find the road to Vinyamar and the Sea, where Ulmo gave him a message to the King of the other hidden Kingdom, Gondolin. In Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin (UT), they show him the Gate of the Noldor, the hidden passage through the Ered Lómin, which Tuor could not find alone.   
  
It is only after this, that they turned south to Nargothrond with the message to Orodreth. In the Appendix of the Narn we read that their reception was cool. When Orodreth asked them what they were doing in the North, Arminas answers that he sought the hidden kingdom of Turgon, because 'it is said that his kingdom shall stand longest against Morgoth'. Orodreth didn't like this, and when Gelmir warned him about the evil creatures gathering in the North, Túrin told them: 'Your news is stale. If the message of Círdan was to any purpose, it should have come sooner.' Whereupon Gelmir gave them Ulmo's warning: 'The Evil of the North has defiled the springs of Siron, and my power withdraws from the fingers of the flowing waters. But a worse thing is yet to come forth. Say therefore to the Lord of Nargothrond: Shut the doors of the fortress and go not abroad. Cast the stones of your price into the loud river, that the creeping evil may not find the gate.' But Túrin (and therefore also Orodreth, who left the decisions to his human captain), refused to listen.   
  
Túrin's rejection was rather scornful, calling the two 'messengers of mischief'. This led to an unpleasant exchange with Arminas, who got angry and suggested that unlike his cousin Tuor, Túrin lacked courtesy, predicting he would end up badly: 'You, it seems, will take counsel with your own wisdom, or with your sword only; and you speak haughtily. And I say to you, Agarwaen Mormegil, that if you do so, other shall be your doom than one of the Houses of Hador and Bëor might look for.' After which Túrin replied rudely: '... shall I (...) endure the taunts and ill-bodings of a runagate?'   
  
There, the altercation ended; we only read that Gelmir and Arminas returned to the South, though 'despite Túrin's taunts they would gladly have awaited battle beside their kin, and they went only because Círdan had bidden them under the command of Ulmo to bring back word to him of Nargothrond and of the speeding of their errand there.' Obviously neither lacked courage. Otherwise, though they are mostly mentioned together, they appear to be rather different in character. Arminas is the more outspoken of the two and more easily provoked to anger, while Gelmir tries to preserve the peace, telling Orodreth not to be angered and trying to steer Arminas away from conflict. This small vignette attached to the Narn i Hîn Húrin shows Tolkien's power of characterisation, even on a small scale.   
  
Conclusion: Gelmir and Arminas are instrumental in the conveying of two warning messages to Noldorin Kings, and though both these kingdoms perish nonetheless, the aid they give Tuor will eventually lead to the birth of Eärendil, and his saving mission to Valinor. 


	12. Gereth

This character biography by: Lyllyn 2.22.03  
  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Noldo  
Dates: First Age  
Locations: Ossiriand, Doriath, presumably Sirion  
  
He is mentioned by name only in The Book of Lost Tales 2. When the Feänorians attacked Dior for the Silmaril:  
"Evranin the nurse of Elwing, and Gereth a gnome, took her unwilling in a flight swift and sudden from those lands…"  
  
In The Lost Road, The Later Annals of Beleriand, Tolkien wrote "The maiden Elwing was saved by faithful Elves, and they fled with her to the mouths of Sirion, and they took with them the jewel and the necklace, and Maidros found it not."  
  
Since Elwing was born in 500, we know that Gereth was an adult at that time, but beyond that his age is uncertain. The quote from The Lost Road suggests that he traveled with Elwing to Sirion. He could even have escaped the Sack of Sirion, in which case he would have been among the survivors who joined Gil-galad and went to live on the Isle of Balar.  
  
With the date of Dior's death given as 506 in The Lost Road, Gereth would have had the difficult task of fleeing with an unwilling 6 year old elf who had just lost her father.  
  
Note that Gnome in the early versions of the mythology was eventually replaced by Noldoli.


	13. Indis

This character biography by Maid of Ainur 4.6.03  
  
Meaning: "Bride" in Etymologies / "great or valiant woman" meaning given in Shibboleth of Fëanor  
Title: Queen of the Noldor  
Other Names: The Fair, the Wise  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Vanya  
Dates: Age of the Trees~?  
Location(s): Tirion; Taniquetil  
Parents: Mother - Sister of Ingwe  
Siblings: Unknown  
Spouses: Finwe  
Children: (Findis), Fingolfin, Finarfin, (Irime Lalwende)  
  
Character Description and Notes: Fair, like all of the Vanyar.  
"Now it came to pass that Finwë took as his second wife Indis the Fair. She was a Vanya, close kin of Ingwë the High King, golden-haired and tall, and in all ways unlike Míriel. Finwë loved her greatly, and was glad again. But the shadow of Míriel did not depart from the house of Finwë, nor from his heart..." Silmarillion, Ch 6,  _Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor_  
  
To this a passage in  _Morgoth's Ring_  (HoMe 10) adds: 'She was (...) exceedingly swift of foot. She laboured not with her hands, but sang and made music, and there was ever light and mirth about her while the bliss of Aman endured.'   
  
"She had loved Finwë in her heart, ever since the days when the Vanyar and the Noldor lived close together. In one of his wanderings Finwë met her again upon the inner slopes of Oiolossë, the Mountain of Manwë and Varda; and her face was lit by the golden light of Laurelin that was shining in the plain of Ezellohar below. In that hour Finwë perceived in her eyes the love that had before been hidden from him."  
HoMe 12,  _The Peoples of Middle-earth,_  'The Shibboleth of Fëanor'  
  
  
According to the tale of Finwë and Míriel in  _Morgoth's Ring_ , at some point Indis parted from her husband 'withouth death'. As Finwë recounts in the Halls of Mandos: 'I had not seen her for many years, and when the Marrer [Morgoth] smote me, I was alone. She hath dear children to comfort her, and her love, I deem, is now most for Ingoldo [in this version, Fingolfin, though later the name was attributed to Finrod]. His father she may miss; but not the father of Fëanaro! But above all her heart now yearns for the halls of Ingwë and the peace of the Vanyar, far from the strife of the Nodlor. Little comfort should I bring her, if I returned.' It looks as if this marriage was less than ideal, and in a note to this Christopher Tolkien uses the word 'estrangement'.   
(this paragraph added 4.19.03 by Finch)


	14. Irimë

This character biography by Maid of Ainur 4.6.03  
  
Meaning: From Quenya "irima" beautiful or fair  
Other Name(s): Mother name: Lalwende "Laughing maiden," Lalwen, Írien  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Noldo  
Dates: Age of the Trees - ?  
Location(s): Valinor, Beleriand   
Parents: Father: Finwe; Mother: Indis  
Siblings: (Findis), Fingolfin, Finarfin  
Spouse: None mentioned  
Child/ren: Unknown  
  
Character Description and Notes: She was also called Lalwende, and it was this name which was Sindarinized into Lalwen. She and Fingolfin were very close and she accompanied him into exile. Presumably, Lalwen settled in Hithlum and may have been slain or captured after the Nirnaeth.  
  
  
 _An interesting speculation contributed by Aerlinnel is that Irimë could have been Glorfindel's mother, explaining his golden hair and his allegiance to Turgon, who would then be his cousin._


	15. Mahtan

This character biography by Finch 2.22.03  
  
Other Names: Urundil (Copper-lover); Rusco (fox); alternative name: Sarmo  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Noldo,  
Dates: N/A, but alive during Age of the Trees  
Locations: Tirion, Valinor  
Parents: N/A  
Spouse: N/A  
Children: Nerdanel  
  
Mahtan - the name Nerdanel's father bears in the published Silmarillion - was an Aulendil or Aulendur, belonging to a group of Noldorin families and individuals who were devoted to the Vala Aulë. He was a great smith who loved copper above gold and usually wore a band of copper around his head. His hair was dark brown with a glint of coppery-red in it; his daughter Nerdanel and three of his seven grandsons inherited this colour. Mahtan taught his daughter much about crafts that women of the Noldor seldom used, such as the making of things of metal and stone.  
  
Mahtan was not only Fëanor's father-in-law but also his teacher. When the Noldor became restless and Fëanor used these skills to forge weapons, Mathan rued the day when he had taught his son-in-law the lore of metal-work he had learned from Aulë. He did not join the rebellion of the Noldor but remained behind in Tirion.  
  
(HoMe 10, Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion, and HoMe 12, The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Shibboleth of Fëanor)


	16. Nellas

Meaning: 'beech-leaf'?  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Sinda/Grey Elf  
Dates: First Age (?)  
Location: Doriath  
The elf-maiden Nellas is only found in the Narn i Hîn Húrin (UT), the longer version of the story of Túrin Turambar. She was appointed by Melian to watch over Túrin, then fostered by Thingol, whenever he strayed in the forest, 'and often she met him there, as it were by chance. From Nellas Túrin learned much concerning the ways and the wild things of Doriath, and she taught him to speak the Sindarin tongue after the manner of the ancient realm, older, and more courteous, and richer in beautiful words.' But their friendship passed, for Nellas, who didn't like to have a stone roof over her head, never went to Menegroth. She kept watching over him, though, even if he didn't get to see her anymore.  
And so, Nellas became the unseen witness of Túrin's final confrontation with his personal enemy Saeros in the woods near the River Esgalduin, a confrontation that ended with Saeros' death on a stone in the river. Túrin fled and was banished by Thingol. But Beleg, who must have known Nellas was constantly keeping an eye on Túrin, went to seek her and led her into Menegroth. Shy as she was, she felt afraid there, 'both for the great pillared hall and the roof of stone, and for the company of many eyes that watched her. And when Thingol bade her speak she said: "Lord, I was sitting in a tree," but then she faltered in awe of the King and could say no more.'  
Eventually though, after some coaxing by Thingol, Nellas gave the true version of what had passed between Saeros and Túrin, revealing that it was Saeros who had sprung on the King's foster son at unawares, trying to kill him. She defended Túrin quite fervently: 'He is valiant, but he is merciful. They fought, lord, these two, until Túrin had bereft Saeros of both shield and sword; but he did not slay him. Therefore I do not believe that he willed his death in the end.'   
In the end, because of Nellas' testimony, Thingol pardoned Túrin. Beleg managed to find him and told him what had transpired at Thingol's court. As it turned out, Túrin didn't remember Nellas at all, and when Beleg explained who she was, he wondered why he should have been walking with an elf-maiden. Beleg's reply strongly suggests that Nellas was in love with Túrin: "To learn what she could teach, maybe," said Beleg. "Alas, child of Men! There are other grieves in Middle-earth than yours, and wounds made by no weapon. Indeed, I begin to think that Elves and Men should not meet or meddle." At that, 'Túrin said nothing, but looked long in Beleg's face, as if he would read in it the riddle of his words. But Nellas of Doriath never saw him again, and his shadow passed from her.'   
About Nellas' final fate, nothing is known. She may have perished when the sons of Fëanor attacked Doriath, or (if she escaped) when they attacked the Havens of Sirion. It is possible, though, that she survived and either went to the Undying Lands at some point, or remained in Middle-earth and faded.


	17. Olwë

This character biography by Finch 2.27.03  
  
Name: Olwë of Alqualondë  
Title: King of the Teleri  
Other Names: Ciriáran, or 'Mariner King'; abandoned versions of the name: Ellu, Solwë  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Teler  
Dates: Age of the Trees - ?  
Locations: Middle-earth, Valinor (Alqualondë)  
Parents/Spouse: N/A  
Children: Eärwen, and an unspecified number of other children  
  
From the HoMe 4 (The Shaping of Middle-earth) onward, Olwë is Lord of the Teleri and brother of Elwë Singollo or Elu Thingol. A third brother, Elmo, appears only in Unfinished Tales and HoMe 11. In most versions of the mythology the brothers awoke on the shores of the Mere of Cuiviénen, but they do not play a role in the story about the First Elves found in HoMe 11 (The War of the Jewels). As Elwë comes first in the genealogies, Olwë must have been younger, but both of them were leaders of the Teleri, the third and most numerous tribe of the Elves, during the great westward march from Cuiviénen. HoMe 10 (Morgoth's Ring) contains the only description we have of him: "The hair of Olwë was long and white, and his eyes were blue."  
  
Towards the end of the march, Elwë disappeared in Nan Elmoth (where he found Melian the Maia), and when he did not return to his people, the Teleri took Olwë for their lord. He and his people dwelled long on the shores of Middle-earth. 'And Ossë and Uinen came to them and befriended them and taught them all manner of sea-lore and sea-music. This it came to be that all the Teleri, who were from the beginning lovers of water, and the fairest singers of the Elvenfolk, were after enamoured of the seas.'  
  
Eventually, Olwë didn't want to wait any longer for his brother, eager as he was to reach Aman. He and his people embarked on the island Tol Eressëa, and Ulmo drew it across the sea. On the shores of Aman the Teleri built the city and the harbour of Alqualondë with the help of the Noldor, and there, Olwë reigned as King. His daughter Eärwen, the Swan-maiden, married Finarfin, third son of Finwë, King of the Noldor. How many children he had is not attested; in the story of Finwë and Míriel (HoMe 10), we only find the remark: "Ingwë and Olwë beget many children in the bliss of Aman."  
  
When the Noldor rebelled against the Valar, the Teleri did not join them and refused to help them in any way; instead they tried to dissuade them from leaving Valinor, for "they desired now no other home but the strands of Eldamar, and no other lord than Olwë," who had never listened to Morgoth. At that, Fëanor grew angry, and he said to Olwë: "You renounce your friendship, even in the hour of our need. Yet you were glad indeed to receive our aid when you came at last to these shores, fainthearted loiterers, and wellnigh emptyhanded."  
  
But Olwë still refused to give the Noldor any of the Telerin ships. "Those you gave us not. We learned not that craft from the Noldor, but from the Lords of the Sea, and the white timbers we wrought with our own hands, and the white sails were woven by our wives and our daughters. Therefore we will neither give them nor sell them for any league or friendship. For I say to you, Fëanor son of Finwë, these are to us as are the gems of the Noldor: the work of our hearts, whose like we shall not make again."  
  
However, this did not have the desired effect: Fëanor and his followers tried to seize the ships, and a battle ensued in which many were killed on both sides; afterwards this was known as the Kinslaying of Alqualondë, the first killing of Elves by Elves. Nothing more is told of Olwë in the histories of the Elder Days, from which it could be inferred that he was killed in the Kinslaying, but this has to remain conjecture.


	18. Saeros

This character biography by Finch 04.19.2003  
  
Name: Saeros (replaced Orgof)  
Meaning: May contain element saer, bitter  
Race/Species: Elf  
Type: Nando  
Dates: Age of the Trees - First Age 484  
Location(s): Doriath  
Parent(s): Ithilbor (father)   
  
Saeros, son of Ithilbor, is the enemy of Túrin, son of Húrin, throughout the entire mythology. He appears for the first time in The Book of Lost Tales II (HoMe 2), in the Tale of Turambar and the Foalókë. Here, his name is still Orgof, but his function in the story: precipitating Túrin's departure from Doriath by taunting him and getting killed by him, is essentially the same. In the earliest Silmarillion version in The Lost Road (HoMe 5) the name Saeros definitely replaces Orgof. In The War of the Jewels (HoMe 11), we read he is one of the Nandorin Elves who took refuge in Doriath after the death of Denethor, son of Lenwë. Saeros is the son of the Nandorin leader, in UT identified as Ithilbor.  
  
It is only in Unfinished Tales that the full version of the story is told. Saeros, a friend of Daeron the minstrel and also skilled in song, is a counsellor of King Elu Thingol. He is 'proud, dealing haughtily with those whom he deemed of lesser state and worth than himself.' Disliking mortals in general and Túrin, a kinsman of Beren, in particular, he 'looked askance on Túrin and all that he did, saying what ill he could of it; but his words were cunning and his malice veiled. If he met with Túrin alone, he spoke haughtily to him and showed plain his contempt; and Túrin grew weary of him, though for long he returned ill words with silence.'   
  
One evening Túrin, who hasn't been paying much attention to his appearance, enters the great Hall of Doriath with unkempt hair and in a stained cloak, and seats himself inadvertently in Saeros' place. Saeros starts taunting him. He throws a comb on the board before the young man, makes a remark about his unkempt hair, and finally insults the women of Túrin's people: 'If the Men of Hithlum are so wild and fell, of what sort are the women of that land? Do they run like deer clad only in their hair?' At that, Túrin throws a drinking cup at Saeros, who is hurt, but when the young Man draws his sword, Mablung intervenes. Túrin leaves the hall, but Mablung speaks warning words to Saeros, telling him he has brought his injury upon himself.   
  
His words fall on deaf ears: the next day Saeros waylays Túrin in the woods, trying to kill him. But the mortal gets the upper hand, strips the Elf and chases him through the woods like a deer, threatening him with his sword. In the end Saeros falls over the edge of a cliff on a great stone in the river Esgalduin and dies, 'and long would Mandos hold him.' Túrin, refusing to be called to account, leaves Doriath, and Thingol officially banishes him. Later the truth is found out because the maiden Nellas has witnessed Saeros' attack. Túrin receives the King's pardon, but refuses to return to Doriath.   
  
In HoMe 11, in the essay Quendi and Eldar, Saeros' unpleasant character is related to the fact that as a Nando, he belonged to the Avari, the Elves who refused the journey to Aman. The Eldar believed them to be 'weaker in resistance to the pressures or lies of Morgoth'; Mablungs words to Saeros that he should take care not to do the work of Morgoth seem to echo this. 


End file.
